


Love Conquers All

by can_i_slytherin



Series: Ben Mitchell and Callum Highway [2]
Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Ben Mitchell Loves Callum "Halfway" Highway, Canon Gay Character, Canon Gay Relationship, Deaf Character, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Love, M/M, Medical Procedures, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22979143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/can_i_slytherin/pseuds/can_i_slytherin
Summary: Set one year after the events of episode 28/02/2020.Ben is finally getting a cochlear implant, but he has some concerns. Callum makes him feel better and helps him work through it. All is happy.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Series: Ben Mitchell and Callum Highway [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1657663
Comments: 6
Kudos: 96





	Love Conquers All

**Author's Note:**

> I know nothing about cochlear implants, I literally got all my information from Google- so, if anything is wrong, please tell me. 
> 
> On another note, comments, kudos and loves are plenty welcome!! 
> 
> Happy Reading!

Callum caught his boyfriend's attention with a quick tap to his arm,  _ Penny for your thoughts?  _ He signed. 

Ben sighed, heavy and sad, and nodded,  _ I'm just worried.  _

The taller man cocked his head to the side,  _ Why?  _

Ben averted his gaze, tears springing to his eyes, and chuckled wetly when Callum's fingers curled around his jaw, forcing him to look up. 

Callum repeated the sign. 

_ What if I never hear Lexi call me Dad again? What if I never hear you tell me that you love me? What if I'm stuck like this forever, Callum? Will you still love me?  _

The sandy-haired man frowned and grabbed Ben's hands in his own, firmly shaking his head, "Read my lips, Ben." The brunet zeroed in on Callum's mouth, concentrating intently on the way his lips formed around the words, "I will always love you. You remember what I said to you that day in the kitchen?" 

Ben nodded,  _ Deaf or hearing, I'd still do you in a heartbeat.  _

Callum dropped Ben's hands, smiling warmly,  _ Exactly and I mean it just as much now as I did back then. Nothing will ever stop me from loving you. Nothing.  _

The brunet nodded, heart hammering against his chest, and leant up, capturing Callum's lips in a kiss. Callum smiled into the kiss, placing a hand over Ben's heart, and tapped his fingers against the man's chest three times- their own way of saying  _ I love you _ . 

They broke apart when the door to Ben's room clicked open and the nurse waltzed in, scrubs rolled up to his elbows.  _ Hello, Mr. Mitchell, how are you? _

Ben glanced at Callum, heart swelling with happiness as the man watched the nurse's hands with rapt attention. 

_ I'm okay. I just want to get this over with.  _

The nurse smiled, nodding in understanding,  _ I trust that you've already been told about the procedure?  _ Ben nodded,  _ Brilliant. Well the operating theatre is ready for you. Do you have any questions before we take you down?  _

The brunet took a deep breath, glancing at Callum with wide eyes, and smiled when the taller man reached forward, placing a comforting hand on Ben's thigh without taking his eyes off the nurse. 

_ How successful are these implants?  _

The nurse chuckled, though Ben couldn't hear it,  _ The rate of rejection or disuse is as low as 0.2% and the rate on reimplantation due to failure is 0.5%. This procedure is one of the most successful ones available in the medical field.  _

Ben breathed a sigh of relief, a fraction of the weight lifting from his shoulders, and cast a second look at Callum. The sight that greeted him was one that sent a fire coursing through his body. 

Callum had his gaze firmly fixed on Ben, love and admiration shining clear in the endless pit of blue, and a small smile graced his lips as he reached for Ben's hand, bringing the limb up to his mouth to kiss his knuckles. 

_ I love you. This is going to work, you're going to be okay. I'm not going anywhere. _

Ben grinned wide, eyes shining with tears, and nodded softly,  _ Good. I want you here when I get out.  _

Callum laughed and Ben found himself longing to hear the noise, focusing instead on the way Callum's hands moved,  _ I'm staying here, right here, until you get back. I'll be here without a doubt.  _

Ben froze, a thought flitting across his mind, and he threw Callum a pleading look,  _ Can I ask you something?  _

Callum's eyes widened and he hastily nodded his head,  _ Anything.  _

_ I want you to do something for me.  _ Ben paused, grinning when his boyfriend motioned for him to continue,  _ I want you to tell me you love me. When I wake up, if I can hear, if this has worked, the first thing that I want to hear is you. Telling me that you love me.  _

Callum melted, his chest constricting with happiness, and he nodded, face split in two by the size of his grin,  _ Of course. This is going to work, Ben.  _

Ben patted Callum's knee,  _ I like your optimism, Halfway.  _

The nurse caught Ben's attention,  _ Are you ready, Mr. Mitchell? _

Ben cast a final look at Callum,  _ Don't you go anywhere.  _

Callum laughed, eyes shining with tears, and nodded,  _ Wouldn't dream of it.  _

_ Good.  _ Ben turned to the nurse,  _ Ready when you are, Doc. _

The nurse nodded and turned to Callum, saying something that Ben couldn't quite make out, but he found himself unable to care, hoping with all he had that this surgery worked. 

He'd give anything to hear Callum's voice again. 

  
  
  
  


Two hours and endless cups of coffee later, Ben was wheeled back into the room, still sedated and with clean, white bandages strapped to either side of his head. 

Callum was on his feet in seconds, welcoming Ben back into his room with a gentle kiss to his forehead, rubbing a thumb across the man's cheekbone. 

"Mr. Highway?" A voice to Callum's left startled him, body going rigid at the unknown intrusion, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Doctor Nora Walters, Ben's surgeon." 

Callum took the hand that she offered, firmly shaking it, "How did it go?" 

"It went perfectly." 

Callum let out the breath that he was holding in, gaze falling to Ben's prone form, and reach down to brush a strand of hair from his eyes, smiling softly, "That's great."

"We've put implants in both ears and, as you already know, the likelihood of his body rejecting them is very low, but still possible. If he experiences any discomfort or hearing loss in the weeks, or even days, following his surgery, bring him back immediately. Despite that, Ben's hearing should be fully restored. He'll wake up shortly, after the anesthetic has worn off." She explained. 

Callum nodded and slumped down in his chair, mind reeling as he tried to process the reality of the situation, "Thank you, so much. I cant tell you how much this means to him. To me. To  _ us. _ "

Walters chuckled and waved him off dismissively, "I'm just doing my job, Mr. Highway." 

"You still deserve to be thanked. You might've brought Ben his hearing back." Callum replied, tears springing to his eyes, "No words can describe how thankful I am for that." 

Walters grinned, "You're welcome. Now, I have other patients to get to. The nurse should be back shortly, just to do his rounds and make sure that Ben's vitals are stable." 

Callum nodded, watching as the surgeon left the room, and immediately turned his attention back to his boyfriend, staring at the steady rise and fall of his chest. 

He stayed like that for an undisclosed amount of time, listening to the steady beat of the heart monitor and taking comfort in the way that Ben's eyes moved behind his lids. 

Forty-five minutes after his surgery, Ben began to stir. Callum sat bolt upright, hand flying to Ben's, intertwining their fingers, and watched as Ben's eyelids fluttered open, revealing the beautiful irises that Callum had so dearly missed. 

Ben grinned speedily at his boyfriend, bringing their conjoined hands to his lips to press a kiss against the back of Callum's hand. 

Callum opened his mouth to speak and snapped it shut again when Ben's eyes widened, the brunet hastily shaking his hand. 

He tore his hand from Callum's, fingers shaking around the signs,  _ No. Not yet. I can't. I'm not ready.  _

Callum's heart shattered and he brought Ben into a deep kiss, trying to put all his feelings into the move of his lips against Ben's. He pulled away shortly after, panting heavily, and pressed their foreheads together, rubbing his nose against Ben's. 

He pulled away even further, tapping the end of Ben's nose, and smiled,  _ You're going to be okay. Remember what I said. Deaf or hearing… _

_ I'd still do you in a heartbeat.  _ Ben finished, taking a deep breath, and nodded hesitantly, keeping his eyes firmly shut,  _ Okay, do it. Say it.  _

Callum took in a shaky breath, heart thumping hard against his chest and stomach turning over itself. His body shook and fingertips tingled, anxiety setting every nerve ending alight.

Ben blindly reached for Callum's hand, linking their fingers together, and squeezed it tightly in reassurance,  _ Do it.  _

Callum grit his teeth, shaking his free hand in anticipation, and rocked in his seat, eyes slipping shut as the three words tumbled from his lips, "I love you." 

Ben gasped, hand flying to his mouth, and his eyes snapped open, tears tumbling down his cheeks as he stared at Callum with blurred vision, "I hear you. I heard you." 

Callum laughed, wet-sounding, and reached up to fruitlessly wipe away his tears, "You hear me?"

Ben nodded, surging forward to cup Callum's face in his hands, careful not to jostle the IV drip, "I hear you." 

Callum sobbed, "I love you."

"It worked." Ben replied, voice tight with emotion, and didn't bother to wipe his tears away as he brought Callum down for a passionate kiss. 

It was tear-filled and salty, but the best kiss that they'd shared in months, pouring every emotion into the press of their lips. 

Ben leant back against the pillows and Callum went with him, clambering into his lap. He straddled the brunet's thighs, hands coming up to rest against Ben's neck, and deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into his mouth. 

Ben moaned, hands slipping from Callum's face and over his shoulders, coming to rest on the swell of the taller man's arse. He grinned into the kiss, pulling Callum impossibly closer, and pulled back when both of them were grinning too widely to continue with their activities. 

Callum rested their foreheads together, lips shining with saliva and kiss-bitten, and his chest heaved with every panting breath, a stupid grin permanently etched across his face. 

"I love you." He breathed. 

Ben chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to his lips, "Tell me again." 

"I love you." Callum repeated. 

"I could listen to you say that everyday." Ben replied, pulling Callum down to lay beside him, and tangled himself with the man's lanky body so much that it was hard to tell where one person ended and the other began. 

"I'm not gonna be saying it every day. I'm gonna be saying it every minute- no, every  _ second. _ I love you, Ben Mitchell." 

Ben grinned, shuffling down the bed to tuck his head under Callum's chin, and pressed his head against the man's chest, listening to the gentle thump of his heart- a sound he thought that he would never hear again. 

"What do you want to do now?" Callum asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he fought to keep the moment peaceful. 

"I want to cuddle with my boyfriend and fall asleep to the sound of his heart." Ben mumbled, turning his head to press a kiss against Callum's collarbone, "That okay with you?" 

Callum nodded, pressing his nose into Ben's hair, "More than." 

"Good." Ben's hand found its way to Callum's hip and he tugged the man impossibly closer, puzzling into his chest. 

"Definitely. I love you." 

Ben grinned and playfully nipped and Callum's collarbone, "I love you more." 

Callum shook his head, "Not possible."

Ben yawned, "We'll have this conversation later. Sleep now." 

"Of course." 


End file.
